Page 66 of House of Scarlett
The gray sweatshirt hood obscures the face, but as he comes closer, he lifts his head.Bodhi.
Shit. Crap. Damn.
I totally forgot to cancel my self-defense classes, and now he’shere.
Faster than I’ve moved in days, I pop off the couch and rush to the door to whip it open. I have to get Bodhi out of here before Gabriel comes back down. I remember what he said—that Bodhi wants him dead—and I’m not letting that happen.
Bodhi’s head jerks back when he sees me at the door. “So you are alive. I was starting to wonder. You no-show twice, and I don’t even have a number to call you and find out if I’m wasting my time waiting for you to show up. Did you lose interest, or did I piss you off over protein shakes?”
Before I can reply, big hands pick me up and move me out of the doorway.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Gabriel’s voice drops to a growl as he blocks me from the entryway.
From my position at the side, I crane my neck to see Bodhi’s face. Shock and rage flash across it.
“What the fuck areyoudoing here?” Bodhi seems to stand straighter, making himself inches taller than Gabriel.
“This is my woman’s place, not yours. I’m asking the questions.”
Bodhi’s face, normally stoic, twists with contempt. “You afraid I’m going to steal her from you? Did you make her stop coming to training? You that afraid of me, Legend? Because word on the street is you’re a giant fucking pussy these days. Won’t take a fight because you’re afraid of getting your ass beat.”
Gabriel’s hands clench into fists at his sides. “We’re not doing this here. No fucking way. The only thing you need to know right now is that Scarlett doesn’t exist for you. Not anymore. You forget her name. Forget you ever fucking saw her face.”
Bodhi’s laugh comes out cruel and cold. “Keeping your bitch on a tight leash, huh?”
Gabriel’s entire body tenses, and I can almost picture invisible ropes holding him back from launching himself at Bodhi for that horribly offensive asshole comment. “Watch your fucking mouth, or I’ll close it with my fists.”
“Hey, guys, seriously—” I try to get their attention, but the two are facing off toe-to-toe on my freaking doorstep, and neither of them is listening to me.
Bodhi glares at Gabriel. “You want to close my mouth, then take the fucking fight. We’ll see who’s still talking at the end. Your jaw will be wired shut, so it won’t be you.”
The words produce such a visceral, terrifying image in my brain that I can’t stand back and let him taunt Gabriel into agreeing.
“Stop it. Both of you.”
Bodhi laughs again, and I hate the sound. “She doesn’t listen to you as well as she does me.”
Gabriel’s so still, he looks like a gargoyle. “Not one more fucking word out of your goddamned mouth. I will end you. You want a fight that bad?”
“Yeah, I want it so fucking bad I can taste it,” Bodhi says, his nostrils flaring. “You took everything from me. My wife, my kid, my fucking life. I lost it all because of you.”
Chills streak down my spine. I have no idea what Bodhi’s talking about, but I recognize hate when I see it.
I reach out to touch Gabriel’s arm. “Please, close the door. This conversation is over.”
He ignores me. “Get the fuck off this street, Black. Don’t come back. You’ll never see Scarlett again. Go fuck yourself.”
I already told Gabriel that I wasn’t going back to self-defense with Bodhi, but I’m independent enough to dislike him stepping in and handling the situation for me. I’ve never come across this breed of man in my life, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.
“Fuck off, Legend. You’re just trash who snagged a hot piece of ass for a minute. Don’t get used to it. She’ll drop you soon enough. Next time she wants to go slumming, she knows where to find me.”
Gabriel lunges, but my hand clamps down on his arm. Like a switch is flipped, he steps back and reaches for the door handle and slams the door in Bodhi’s face. Breathing heavily, Gabriel stands there, his shoulders tense, jaw clenched, and every muscle in his body poised to attack.
I dash over to the window and watch as Bodhi jogs down the walk and across the street until he disappears.
Gabriel and I stand in silence until he finally steps away from the door and faces me.
“You never see him again. Ever.”
